A serious car accident can change your life drastically. It can leave you with injuries you’ll have for the rest of your life, traumatize you and keep you from driving again, or even cost you the life of a loved one.
At Yosha Law Firm, we understand the challenges that a car accident presents. You feel completely overwhelmed and like you can’t do it alone. But you don’t have to. Our car accident attorneys in Hammond will stand by your side and help lift some of the weight off your shoulders.
How long do car accident cases in Indiana take?
It’s difficult to know exactly how long your personal injury case in Hammond will take. Some cases wrap up in a few months while others can last a few years. It depends on the complexity of your situation and how many parties were involved in the accident.
The timeline for a personal injury case in Indiana typically proceeds as follows:
- File a police report and document your injuries after the accident
- Seek medical attention and start getting care for your injuries
- Hire a personal injury lawyer
- Work with your lawyer on your insurance claim
- Start the paperwork for a lawsuit if negotiations fail with the insurance company
- Begin the discovery process where each party exchanges information and evidence (without going to court)
- Settle the case (the timeline ends here unless the case isn’t settled)
- Go to trial if the case doesn’t settle
Some steps in the above timeline take more time than others. Negotiation with other parties involved can stretch out over months or years, as can the trial. When looking for a lawyer to take on your car accident, you should find one that is completely dedicated to your case at every step.
How to Pay for a Car Accident in Hammond, IN
If you have mounting medical bills and expenses after your car accident, you’re probably wondering how you can possibly pay for everything. Your insurance company isn’t likely to help you out, and if you have to stop working because of your injuries, you need another way to pay.
Getting a settlement or court-ordered award for a claim is the most common way that car accident victims in Indiana pay their expenses. A settlement takes into account all the damages you’ve suffered, including your medical bills and time away from work.
How do you get a settlement that helps you pay for your car accident? You need the help of a personal injury attorney. A lawyer who has worked on car accident cases before will be able to determine a fair settlement amount for you and then negotiate it for it with your insurance company or the at-fault party.
How much settlement money can you get for a car accident case in Hammond?
The Insurance Information Institute reported that in 2020, the average bodily injury claim was $20,235. A Martindale-Nolo survey found that the average settlement award between 2015-2020 was $23,900.
Keep in mind, however, that every car accident claim in Hammond is different. The settlement amount you get depends on several factors, including:
- The severity of your injuries
- The degree of property damage to your vehicle or items that were inside your vehicle
- Whether you were partially at fault
Our attorneys can investigate your case and figure out how much it’s worth. We’ll cover every detail to ensure we fight for a settlement that’s fair.
Car Accident Injuries We Represent
Car accidents can result in severe injuries that leave you permanently disabled or forever impact the quality of your life. At Yosha Law, we help victims who have suffered:
- Head trauma or traumatic brain injury
- Broken bones
- Organ damage
- Burns or disfigurement
- Spinal cord damage
- Internal bleeding
- Muscle and tendon tears
If your loved one has died as a result of a car accident, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit as well. In Indiana, representatives of the estate are allowed to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
How long do you have to file a lawsuit for a car accident in Indiana?
In Indiana, the statute of limitations for a personal injury lawsuit is two years. If you want to file a lawsuit for your accident to recover some damages, you have until two years from the date of the accident to file. If you wait any longer than that, you won’t be able to pursue the lawsuit.
Our car accident attorneys in Hammond, IN, understand that dealing with severe injuries after an accident takes all of your time and energy. At times like this, all you can think about is recovering a semblance of your former life. But you shouldn’t wait too long to see a lawyer after your accident. If you miss the two-year deadline, you could miss your chance to get settlement money to help cover your hospital bills.
Should you hire a car accident attorney?
If you’ve been in a bad car accident and have severe injuries, you should highly consider getting an attorney. A car accident lawyer can:
- Accurately calculate all the damages you’ve suffered and negotiate a fair settlement for you
- Thoroughly investigate your case to find details that aren’t readily apparent (just because you feel fine or your car seems alright after the accident doesn’t mean nothing’s wrong)
- Represent you in the local courts and help you file all the proper paperwork for a lawsuit
- Negotiate with your insurance company (or the at fault party’s insurance company) to get you a fair settlement
- Get you a settlement or court-ordered award that helps pay for all the expenses you incur as a result of the accident, including medical bills and property damage
Unless you’re confident you can do all these things yourself, you should hire a car accident attorney. Not only will it save you the headache of dealing with the insurance company while you recover your health, but it may also result in a higher settlement than if you handle it by yourself.
Indiana is a fault car insurance state
Most states have a no-fault or fault system when it comes to car insurance and accidents. No-fault states require all parties involved to file a claim with their own insurance carriers after the accident. Fault states require the parties to file a claim with the person who was at fault for the accident.
Indiana is an at-fault car insurance state. If you were not the one responsible for your accident, you will have to deal with someone else’s insurance company. Dealing with your own insurance adjuster can be tricky enough!
A car accident attorney in Hammond can deal with the insurance company on your behalf and negotiate so that you get the best deal possible for your situation.
What expenses can a car accident case pay for?
Nothing can truly make up for what you’ve lost in a bad car accident. Your life may be permanently altered because of your injuries, or you may have even lost a loved one. If you did sustain bad injuries, you will most likely have high medical bills, however. You may also have to make modifications to your home or vehicle.
The expenses following a serious car accident add up quickly. If you don’t have the money to pay for them, what happens? In personal injury lawsuits, your attorney helps you recover damages, or a monetary sum, to help pay for these expenses.
Some of the damages you can recover after an accident are:
- Hospitalization bills
- Doctor’s office visits
- Ongoing therapy such as physical therapy or counseling
- Loss of income from missed work
- Loss of earning capacity if you can no longer do your job
- Loss of consortium
- Pain and suffering
- Damage to your vehicle
Our Indiana car accident attorneys will be able to determine what your case is worth and how much you should receive in damages. Then, we’ll help ensure you get what you’re owed.
When should you see a car accident lawyer?
As soon as you feel well enough, you should contact a personal injury attorney. You should consult with your doctor to ask about ongoing treatments and your prognosis; they can give you a good idea of when you should be up and moving around.
It’s important to get your medical situation as stabilized as you can before you start the process of filing a personal injury lawsuit. At Yosha Law, we understand that you may never feel like you’ve fully recovered after your accident. Speaking to a lawyer and rehashing the accident is probably the last thing you want to do.
We get it. But if you want the chance to get compensation for what you’ve suffered, you have to take legal action within two years of your accident. Our attorneys try to make things as easy as possible for you. We ensure you understand everything about the process and we’re always there when you need us.
Call Yosha Law for your Hammond, IN car accident
At Yosha Law, we’ve helped recover hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts we’ve won for our clients. We beat the insurer’s final offer 98 percent of the time. More importantly, we care deeply about our clients.
We’re in this business because we want to help get justice. We help people who would be stuck in pretty bad situations without us. Our clients are the driving force behind everything we do.
If you’ve been in a car accident give our car accident lawyers in Hammond, Indiana, a call. The first consultation is free and we work on contingency — meaning you don’t pay us anything upfront and we only get paid if we win your case.
